(10)
Mr. MCCONACHIE.-Where would these nurses be located?
Dr. AYRES.-At present the arrangement is that after they had finished duty at the Hospital they would go back to Miss JOHNSTONE'S. Miss JOHNSTONE'S is quite close to the Hospital.
Mr. MCCONACHIE.-One girl might be taken from Miss JOHNSTONE'S and another from another institution. The scheme does not say the girls would be taken entirely from Miss Johnstone's.
Dr. AYRES.-If any other institution were willing to work on the same terms; all we propose to give is $5 per month as a start--a subsistence allowance.
Mr. MCCONACHIE.-To bring the question to a point. Dr. Lowson's idea is not that these girls-who I presume would be Eurasians-would ever be allowed to become part of the nursing staff; they would never be permitted to take up their quarters in the same house as the nurses or mess with them?
Dr. AYRES.--No. The period when leave would be taken by the Sisters will cover four years; then there will be an interval when none will be on leave. Five of them came out together, then four, and then three more close on them, and there are two more further on.
Dr. CANTLIE.--Do you think it would be possible to institute a training for nurses here? In the case of the Civil Hospital nurses some get married after coming out, some go away, and some die, and in the natural course of things all these Sisters you now have will be away and others will have to be brought out from home at considerable expense to the Government. Do not you think it would be possible to have training for nurses here? There are two or three young ladies in the Colony who might wish to go in for nursing in the same way as these Sisters brought out here.
Dr. AYRES.—The young ladies out here would not care to go through the training these Sisters have undergone at home. These Sisters have washed down wards and done everything from the lowest grade. We could never train them out here.
Dr. CANTLIE.-You do not think we could train nurses out here so as to take the place of these Sisters ?
Dr. AYRES.--No. It is only a question of dollars, and this suggestion was made to save the Government the expense of having two extra nurses out while the others were taking leave. I would like to add to my evidence that my duties do not allow me much time for the inspection of Hospitals. This is the only Colony I have ever seen where the head of the medical department has night and day work and where he is absolutely compelled to have night and day duty. I have not had an interval since 1886, when I had five months' leave; and I have been on duty every hour since. I have not left the Colony beyond going out for a swim.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.